This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and more particularly to devices used to increase the efficiency of internal combustion engines.
In 1890, the first compression-ignition engine was developed by Herbert Akroyd Stuart and was called the "hot bulb". This early engine was the first working model of the internal combustion engine which would come to be so vital to the industrial world.
Today, the internal combustion engine is the technology of choice when the need for energy arises. The internal combustion engine is used for transportation (cars, most propeller driven airplanes, boats, trains, etc.) as well as many stationary devices (electrical generators, welders, farm machinery, milling lifts, etc.).
The internal combustion engine is by far the major consumer of fossil fuels. Because of its large consumption of fossil fuels, efficiency of the engine becomes of supreme importance.
The largest focus on research into the internal combustion engine has been in the field of the carburetor which mixes, in predetermined fashion, the fuel with air. This mixture ratio and control is very important for the efficient "burning" of the fuel within the cylinders of the internal combustion engine.
Some of this research is reflected in U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,123, entitled "Carburetor and Means for Controlling the Same" issued Feb. 13, 1962, to Morton; U.S. Pat. No. 1,627,951, entitled "Control of Carburetors" issued May 10, 1927, to Barbarou; and, U.S. Pat. No. 1,582,239, entitled "Control of Carburetors for Internal Combustion Engines" issued Apr. 27, 1926, to Barbarou.
Recognizing that the air intake to the internal combustion engine is important, research has also be conducted on how to create a system which is sensitive to the altitude of the engine. As the altitude increases, the density of the air changes which affects the fuel/air ratio. A carburetor with a fixed adjustment, loses its optimal affect as the air thins due to altitude changes; altitude adjustment is a paramount concern for aircraft.
Some patents addressing this problem are: U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,086, entitled "Automatic Device for Controlling the Pressure of the Intake Air of an I.C. Engine as its Operating Altitude Varies" issued Dec. 5, 1978, to Garcea; Japanese Patent number 56-44438, entitled "Air-Fuel Ratio Control System with High Altitude" issued Apr. 23, 1981, to Seiki; U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,286, entitled "Elevation Responsive Automatic Vehicle Control System" issued Oct. 28, 1986, to Caldwell; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,155,950, entitled "Controlling Apparatus for an Internal Combustion Engine" issued Apr. 25, 1939, to Nallinger. All of these patents are incorporated hereinto by reference.
One very intriguing area of research which has been explored for the enhancement of the fuel efficiency in internal combustion engines, is the concept of providing a humid air flow to the carburetor. Some of these devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,369, entitled "Humidifier for Internal-Combustion Engines" issued Oct. 9, 1951, to Murray; U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,124, entitled "Air Filter and Humidifier" issued Apr. 29, 1975, to Stratton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,519, entitled "Air Humidity Device for Internal Combustion Engine" issued Dec. 22, 1981, to Schoenhard; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,222, entitled "Forced Humid Aspiration for Internal Combustion Engines" issued Dec. 10, 1985, to Nelson. All of these patents are incorporated hereinto by reference.
In each of the humid air systems, the enhancement to the fuel efficiency is merely 10-20%. This low level of improvement does not justify the capital expenses and operating costs associated with these type of devices; hence, this technology has not been capitalized upon.
It is clear that improvements to the efficiency of an internal combustion engine are extremely important.